Human Nature in Lord Of The Flies Essay

No matter how innocent and good someone may be they can always revert back to their primitive nature. Anyone at anytime can do something as drastic as killing someone even if it does not seen possible. This will be shown in The Lord of the Flies. In this novel there is a group of boys that are stranded on a deserted island and have to deal with the struggles of being on their own. The nature of humanity has many aspects to it and this will show what they are and how they are represented throughout the novel. In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding the conch shell, the fire, and the beast represent aspects of the nature of humanity.

First, the conch shell represents certain aspects of the nature of humanity. At the beginning of the novel the conch represents civilization and order but towards the end of the novel the conch shell is not getting the same respect is it does in the beginning and becomes obsolete. When the boys first arrive on the island they are not sure how to act without adults there to tell them what to do. Someone has to step up and take lead of the group. They take a vote and decide to have Ralph as the leader [] [cause] there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch (Golding 22). When Ralph becomes the leader he gives everyone jobs to do. He is trying to keep everyone in line. By doing this he is showing civilization or order. Then, all of a sudden there was a change. The conch is starting to lose its meaning and in time becomes obsolete. In the beginning when the conch is blown everyone will come to the platform for a meeting and now when Ralph blows the conch the forest re-echoed; and birds lifted, crying out of the treetops, as on the first morning ages ago. Both ways the beach was deserted (Golding 170). No one listens to the conch anymore; it has lost its value. This is showing how something so valuable that represented civilization or order turns into something that is not worth anything anymore.

Next, the fire represents certain aspects of the nature or humanity. In the novel the fire represents rescue and hope but towards the end of the novel it represents destruction. When the boys first discover they can make fire they are so happy with themselves. They decide not to just use the fire to cook food on but to use it as a signal to get rescued. They know if a ship comes near the islan they might not notice [them]. So [they] must make smoke on top of the mountain (Golding 38). Having a fire as a signal they all have hope that it will actually work and people will find them. They make sure that the fire is kept running at all times. Then, later on into the novel the fire starts to represents destruction. When Ralph is hiding from Jack and his group, Jack tries to use the fire as a weapon to get Ralph out of hiding. So jack sets the whole island on fire in mass destruction. Once Ralph decides to not hide any longer he makes a run for it. When he was running all at once the lights flickering ahead rose to thunder and a tall bush directly in his path burst into a great fan-shaped flame (Golding 199). For jack to set the island on fire he is using it against Ralph. At the beginning the fire is all about being rescued and now it is being used as a weapon and having it is like being in power.

Lastly, besides the conch shell and the fire the beast also represents certain aspects of the nature of humanity. In the beginning of the novel the beast represents fear in everyone and towards the end of the novel it represents the evil side in everyone. When the boys first take notice of the beast they are all very scared. They are not sure what they should if they should just leave it alone, or hunt it, or if there even is a beast. Having all this talk about the beast [] people started getting frightened (Golding 82). Most of the boys decide on that there is a beast and that scared them. They will not even go into the forest at night. Then, later on into the novel the beast starts to represents the evil in all the boys. Once the boys split into two groups, Jacks group start to worship the beast in a way. They also make up a chant about the beast. At one point Jacks group is chanting and a thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly (Golding 152). That thing is Simon and everyone is thinking so much about the beast they think Simon is the beast and they kill him. This shows how the boys were good English kids and how the beast has brought out the evil in them and the boys have now killed Simon. Finally, that is how the beast represents fear then in the end bringing out the evil in everyone.

In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding the conch shell, the fire, and the beast represent aspects of the nature of humanity. This story may be about fictional boys but what has happened throughout it is very real. The events that happened are representing war going on throughout the world and how there is always a battle to be on top and have the power. There is a lot of this going on and people need to recognize it and not just think it is no big deal to them. In conclusion, that is how those three symbols represent aspects of the nature of humanity.